With a strong desire to both travel and spend quality time with my family, I decided that it would be fun to try and visit ALL of the 50 States!
It's a pretty ambitous goal but I think it will be fun to try! Plus, I can't think of a better way to teach my kids about our country. The following post is the first of what I'm sure will be many! They are pictures and thoughts of all the places we have traveled to!

Friday, June 13, 2014

10 years ago, I watched an episode of Samantha Brown on the Travel
Channel. She did a segment on Hershey, Pennsylvania where she ate Filet
Mignon covered with a chocolate port reduction sauce at a 4-star restaurant
called The Circular.I took one look at
that dish and I knew I just had to travel to Pennsylvania to try it! I've
never described myself as a "Foodie" but I guess that is the very
description of one. So, last summer, when my husband asked if I wanted to
pack up the kids and take a road trip to Pennsylvania... I was in! I just
knew that Hershey would make the perfect family trip.

Day 1We awoke at 4:00am dashed into the car and arrived in Lancaster County
by 1:30pm.

Aside from a few episodes on the Travel Channel, I did not know much about
the state of Pennsylvania. Turns out, it's quite different from New
England! In Marblehead, I can see into my neighbors’ backyard.
Here, the nearest neighbor is a few miles away! The amount of farmland is
astounding. There were literally acres upon acres of corn stalks
reaching 8 feet tall.Tobacco, alfalfa
and cabbage...you name it they had it. It was nature at its best and it
was spectacular.

Since Lancaster is just 45 minutes from Hershey, I wanted to stop to explore
Amish Country. We knew we were in
the right place when we passed by families traveling on the road in their horse
drawn carriages. I must say, I didn't expect them to be occupying the same
road as the cars. In fact, I didn't expect to see them in the modern
world at all! I guess I always thought that they occupied a small
community within Pennsylvania and didn't mingle with the "English".
Indeed, other than knowing how the Amish dressed and the fact that they
didn't use electricity, I didn't know much about their way of life. I
have, though, always been curious about the Amish people. Perhaps it was
my love for history or my profound appreciation for other cultures, but I was truly
looking forward to learning more about their lifestyle.

Online I found what I thought would be the perfect first stop; “The
Amish Farm and House”.The
website showed a picture of a beautiful 15 acre farm with a one-room school
house and a Blacksmiths shop. I envisioned driving down a secluded dirt
road with crops on either side of us and Amish children playing in the fields.
However, when we arrived we discovered that the farm sat in the
middle of a strip mall! Apparently, I should have taken a little more
time to review their site! For if I read on, I would have learned that it
was once a farmhouse but after the
construction of the main road and the building up of modern society, it has
since become nothing more than a tourist attraction. Needless to say, I
was disappointed. I wanted to meet real Amish people.

Fortunately, after a little exploring we discovered that they offered bus
tours into the Amish neighborhoods. This turned out to be exactly what I
was looking for!We embarked on the bus,
found our seats and eagerly waited for our tour to begin. The driver wasted
no time preparing us for what we were about to see.She explained that while the Amish welcomed
tourist they are indeed real people and we must remember to respect their way
of life. It was a sunny, clear day and the bus drivers’ carefree spirit
set the tone for our adventure.

As we drove through the neighborhoods we witnessed a living
picture of historical America.The
images before me were surreal. If you've ever imagined what it was like
for the first settlers, this was it! Everywhere we looked there
were Amish people working on their farms; harvesting crops, plowing the fields
and repairing their houses. The women worked side-by-side with the men and wore
full length old-fashioned dresses. I thought it was interesting that the
Amish lived right next door to the "English". You can tell
which houses were Amish since their houses have horse buggies in the
driveway and no sign of electrical power lines.

The tour bus made 2 stops at genuine Amish Farms. At the first
farm, there was a man running a stand with his 2 children alongside the
road. They offered fresh lemonade, homemade root-beer and whoopee-pies. We
bought a few of each. The root-beer was the sweetest beverage I’ve ever
tasted and enormously delicious. The Amish family was very polite to their
guests. I was struck by how sweet the little girl was. She was probably 12
years old and she was wore a beautiful old fashioned dress. Both children
did not wear shoes and their father had a long beard which we were told meant that
he was married.

At the second farm, we were greeted by the head of the household as he
opened the door to his gift shop located in a basement-like room attached to
the main house. Here, in this dimly-lit room were hand carved bird feeders,
pillows and quilts. For a souvenir, I purchased a bird feeder that now sits
nicely in my backyard.

Visiting this unique area of our country is worth the trip. I find
their way of life both charming and inspirational. I admire these people
for their hard work and their ability to stand by their beliefs in a world
where everyone around them is so different.

After our tour was over, the driver brought us back to the “Amish Farm and
House” next to the strip mall.I would
have liked to explore the grounds but we needed to quickly change into our
formal attire and head for Hershey so we wouldn't be late for our dinner
reservation at The Circular. I do recommend, however, allowing time for
exploration, especially if you have kids. They have woodcarving games and a
playground. You can even try milking a cow!

Let the feast begin!At 6:00pm sharp we arrived at The Hotel Hershey. Weary after being
in and out of the car since 4:00am we stumbled out of our vehicle,
looked up and were astounded by the grand hotel before us! "Are we eating
in a castle?" my 8 year old asked.Built in the 1930’s, The Hershey Hotel sits upon a hill, high above Hershey
Park.To call it a castle is an
understatement.It is a spectacular representation
of Mediterranean architecture. It hosts 232 guest rooms and has 23,500 square
feet of event space.Tall arched entrances,
3-teired fountains, mosaic tiles; a walk through this building and you feel as
if you are visiting Spanish royalty.

Inside, The Circular was equally majestic.Classic in décor, the dining room was surrounded by high windows
overlooking their 23-acre garden.This
was no ordinary garden!In fact, The
Hershey Garden is an attraction all on its own.It includes an arboretum, a butterfly house and a rose garden of 275
varieties!My children were in awe of
this place.

I began my meal with a "Death by Chocolate” Martini. I was,
after all, in Hershey! My husband enjoyed a "Hemingway
Daiquiri". I didn’t even have to look at the menu.I’ve been waiting 10 years for this
meal.I eagerly ordered the Filet Mignon
with their signature sauce and I wasn’t disappointed.Tender, sweet and savory are words that come
to mind. I am not a chef by any means but I am a bit of a connoisseur in
regards to dining.This was a meal to
remember!The port wine and the
bittersweet flavor of the chocolate were a perfect combination.I relished each bite!As a side dish I had asparagus grilled with a
citrus zest, chili flakes and olive oil. (I had to have something healthy.)
My husband enjoyed a pomegranate glazed Lamb Shank with chanterelle mushrooms,
red wine sauce and twice baked potatoes. Both of my kids ordered Grilled
Cheese and Tomato Soup. Everything was over the top delicious! We
ate every last bit of it and then proceeded to treat ourselves to rum flambéed
Chocolate Fondue for desert served with cinnamon marshmallows, caramel
cheesecake, berry skewers, rice crispies and candied pineapple. Do I need to
say more?It was amazing!

When the check arrived, the waitress gave each of us a small box.
Inside there was a piece of salted caramel with a note that read:

"Thank you for dining at The Circular. Please enjoy this sea-salt
caramel, compliments of our kitchen. This sweet treat is a tribute to our
founder Milton S. Hershey's first successful candy business. The
Lancaster Caramel Company which preceded his iconic Hershey Chocolate
Company. Enjoy!"

Day 2 - Hershey Park

Day 2 of our road trip involved something else entirely. We set our
sights on Hershey Park!The first order
of business…breakfast.

Hershey Park Place offers a character breakfast that includes early entrance
into the park.While my kids are a
little old to enjoy a “character breakfast” the benefit of early admittance was
definitely worth it.For an hour we
enjoyed the rides without the hustle and bustle that comes with a crowded
amusement park on a hot summer day.

There are 12 different rollercoasters at this park.For the extreme thrill seeker this is a
dream! Unfortunately, I regret to admit that at age 44, the Carrousel is more
my speed.However, my husband’s stomach
is much stronger than mine so our kids had the pleasure to experience each and
every roller coaster Hershey had to offer.My daughter’s favorite was the “Great Bear”.This coaster starts off by lifting you 90
feet off the ground!Riders also ride
below the track, rather than above it.Needless to say, I couldn’t watch!

At lunch time we went back to Hershey Park Place where they made a chocolate
covered hotdog especially for my son.The
waiter asked if he wanted the barbecue chocolate sauce but my son wasn’t going
to be satisfied unless he had authentic Hershey’s chocolate.They were happy to oblige. “This makes my
tongue happy!” he exclaimed.

Back at the park, there was so much to see; railroad trains, Ferris wheels,
aquatic shows, we even spent an hour in the giant wave pool!We ended our day in Chocolate World where we
bought a Hershey’s Kiss the size of a small child, took in a 4D movie, and
learned what it was like to work in a chocolate factory!

I asked my family what they thought
was the best part of the trip:Dad:“Chocolate World”

Brianna:
"The Wave Pool at Hershey Park"

Colin:
"Eating my chocolate covered hotdog!"

Me:
"All of it! I never thought of Pennsylvania as a tourist attraction but
it's was a wonderful place to visit."